An animal sanctuary has had to install security cameras after a pregnant horse was stolen.

The Crosskeenan facility, outside Antrim, was holding five mares but was broken into and one of the animals taken.

It is suspected the mare taken was specifically targeted while the others were left behind. The animals had been previously confiscated and faced being put down until they were rescued by staff at Crosskeenan.

One source told Belfast Live: “The mare they took had a one-year-old and it was always at his mother’s side in the paddock. They would have faced one hell of a struggle to separate the two of them, but they took her and didn’t bother with the rest.

“It would be suspected that she had been covered by a stallion that had some pedigree, so the foal would be worth a lot of money. The foal they left behind ran up and down the field screaming after she was taken and we’ve never found out what happened to her.”

The mare, called River, was taken in July and Crosskeenan have now installed cameras which were donated to the organisation which relies heavily on charitable donations.

New cameras which link in with wifi mean staff at the centre can now keep an eye on animals not just for security reasons but, for example, to watch over heavily pregnant mares who often give birth in the middle of the night.

The equipment was donated by Y-cam and a spokesperson said: "Our system allows users to see and hear what's happening on the camera from anywhere, on your smartphone or tablet.

"We were told of the disappearance of the pregnant mare River from the animal sanctuary and we felt we wanted to help where we could.

"You don't need to be a techie to set up the security camera equipment and now the charity staff will get instantly alerts when motion is detected.

"We believe the Y-cam will help keep their animals safer and help prevent an other heartbreaking theft.

"Even if the security equipment is vandalised or stolen, their video clips will remain safely stored in The Cloud and fully protected. We were glad to help."

The six-acre sanctuary looks after scores of horses and other animals many of which have been abandoned or face destruction after being confiscated by police.

Animal Welfare worker at Crosskeenan, Janice Watt says they have been given Y-cams which mean they can monitor the animals no matter where they are in the world, as long as they have access to wifi.

A page to raise funds to increase security at the sanctuary has been set-up.